Lubbock (TX) Avalanche Journal SE - OPEN AGAIN?

Re: Lubbock (TX) Avalanche Journal SE

Big ups to Lubbock's Web site for keeping their old stuff archived from 1996-97, by the way. I had to look up some old scores and our microfilm machine is broken.

 

Re: Lubbock (TX) Avalanche Journal SE

Oh, man, when the wind's blowing in from the stockyards, be sure to have a clothespin handy for your nose. It can get really gamey.

But despite being so isolated, Lubbock's actually a pretty nice place. Good people, enough to do. Tech provides both cultural (yes, really) and sporting escapes. There are worse places to live.

 

Re: Lubbock (TX) Avalanche Journal SE

That's the smell!!!!

It's worse on the outskirts of town but it's there. And it can reek sometimes.

 

Re: Lubbock (TX) Avalanche Journal SE

Yeah, the feedlots can be pretty brutal.

I forgot to mention the "Strip."

Basically, you can't buy packaged alcohol at convenience stores and grocery stores within Lubbock city limits (despite the fact there are bars all over town).

The Strip is this collection of liquor stores just south of the city limits (about 10 miles from downtown I think). They are awash in flashy lights and neon signs. If you want that case of Natty Light, that's where you go. The liquor store ads rival the car ads particularly in the A-J's Saturday sports section.

They recently started selling beer in Wolfforth which benefits the folks in Southwest and West Lubbock.

 

Re: Lubbock (TX) Avalanche Journal SE

Southwest and west Lubbock...

aka where the growth is.

It's also very inexpensive to live in Lubbock unless you see fit to running off to DF/W every month. The newspaper's office is at the edge of downtown not far from the Purina factory, which means it smells like dog food when the wind blows out of the north. And occasionally I caught a whiff of crude when the wind blew from the oil patch out Sundown/Levelland way.

There's a strong internal candidate here I hope TPTB consider.

 

Re: Lubbock (TX) Avalanche Journal SE

Yeah, southwest and west Lubbock is the "swanky" part of town.

For those politically inclined, Lubbock is a highly conservative town (a major understatement).

If you love a newsroom without windows, the A-J's for you. Guess that's good since the building was whacked pretty good by a tornado in '70.

Yeah, there's plenty to do in Lubbock without heading to Dallas every weekend. The music scene skews hard in the Texas country direction (Pat Green and Cross Canadian Ragweed wannabes).

The big acts that come to the United Spirit Arena are mainly country (George Strait and Alan Jackson) or hard rock.

If you are into popular jazz or R&B acts, you would be SOL.

Really good town for a guy or gal with children. There are all sorts of children's activities available. Lubbock ISD has sort of programs and lots of neighborhood elementary schools. Its reputation is based on whom you ask.

Lubbock-Cooper and Frenship districts serve parts of Lubbock and have the feel of suburban school districts in a big metropolitan area.

The pay at the A-J is definitely something you can live on. However, for those with a spouse, most other jobs around town are relatively low-paying. The good jobs - like those at Tech and other governmental agencies - are often tied into Lubbock's good ol' boy system.

I once heard (second hand) one longtime newsroom hand tell a new reporter with a job-hunting wife - "Lubbock's a hard place to find a job if you are educated."

 

Re: Lubbock (TX) Avalanche Journal SE

The best part of West Texas is .... Allsup's!

The closest one to me, though, is in Pilot Point.

 

Re: Lubbock (TX) Avalanche Journal SE

Town and Country is way better than Allsup's. All the Allsup's are dirty and have terrible bathrooms.

 

Re: Lubbock (TX) Avalanche Journal SE

Yeah, but the quality of fried burrito at Allsup's is much better than that of Town and Country.

 

Re: Lubbock (TX) Avalanche Journal SE

Y'all are both right. T and C is often almost frighteningly clean. Allsup's is usually el disgusto. But in the fried burrito contest, I give the nod to Allsup's.

As for Lubbock, it sucks. If there's a more closed-minded, anti-intellectual town that's a host community to a major US university, I can't think of it. Makes even my corner of Cowshitistan look liberal.

 

Re: Lubbock (TX) Avalanche Journal SE

There are some good people on that staff. Any chance of an in-house hiring?

 

Re: Lubbock (TX) Avalanche Journal SE

I'm hoping so, Inky. A veteran on staff would be very good for this spot.